2– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘Islam is based on five: prayer, alms, fasting, the obligatory pilgrimage (Hajj), and the divine guardianship
[of the Imams from the household of the Prophet]. And no other issue has been called for as much as divine guardianship.’
[al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 18, no. 2]

الإمامَة

LEADERSHIP (IMÀMA)

3– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Allah will not accept the good deeds performed by the servants if they accept the custodianship of a tyrant leader who has not been appointed by Allah, most High.’
[Nur al-Thaqalayn, v. 4, p. 104, no. 130]

4- Imam al-Kazim (AS) said, ‘Imama is the light, and that is the purport of His saying
[in the Qur’an]: “So have faith in Allah and His Apostle and the light which We have sent down”. He (AS) said, ‘The light is the Imam.’
[Ibid. v. 5, p. 341, no. 16]

5– Imam al-Ridha (AS) said, ‘And it was revealed in the Prophet’s farewell pilgrimage, during the end of his life: “Today I have perfected your religion for you…” and the issue of Imama is the completion of the religion.’
[Ibid. v. 1, p. 589, no. 33]

8– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Verily Allah, Blessed and most High, took Abraham
[Prophet Abraham (AS) is known in the Arabic tradition as Abraham (ed.)] as a slave before He took him as a prophet, and verily Allah took him as a prophet before He took him as an apostle, And verily Allah took him as an apostle before He took him as a friend. And verily Allah took him as a friend before He made him an Imam. And when all these ranks came together in him, He said, “I am making you the Imam of mankind.”
[ al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 175, no. 2]

الاضطِرارُ إلَى الإمامِ / The Essential Need for an Authority

9– Imam al-Baqir (AS) or Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Certainly Allah has not left the earth without a knowledgeable authority, for if it were not such, the truth would never be distinguished from falsehood.’
[Ibid. p. 178, no. 5]

10– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The earth – ever since its existence – has never been without a knowledgeable authority, who revives all that people destroy of the truth.’ Then he recited this verse: “They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah shall perfect His light, though the faithless be averse.”
[ Bihar al-Anwar, v. 23, p. 37, no. 65]

12– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘O Allah, indeed the earth will not be devoid of one who upholds the proofs for the sake of Allah - either a manifest and well-known authority, or one who fears
[for his life] and is hence, undistinguishable - so that His proofs and arguments may never be invalid.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 23, p. 46, no. 91]

16– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘When the Day of Judgment comes… an address will come from Allah, the Exalted, saying, ‘Lo! whosoever accepts the leadership of an Imam in the worldly abode should follow him wherever he takes him, hence ‘those who were followed will disown the followers...’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 8, p. 10, no. 3]

19– Imam Íusayn (AS), when asked how to attain knowledge of Allah, replied, ‘It is for the people of every time to know their Imam, obedience to whom is mandatory.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 23, p. 83, no. 22]

21– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The Imam is a guide between Allah and His creation, therefore whoever acknowledges him is a believer, and whoever rejects him is a disbeliever.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 23, p. 88, no. 32]

22– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘He who neither knows us nor rejects us is astray, until he returns to the guidance that Allah has made incumbent upon him - that is the obligatory obedience to us. And if he dies in this deviation of his, Allah will do with him as He pleases.’
[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 187, no. 11]

شَرائِطُ الإمامَةِ وخَصائِصُ الإمامِ / Conditions of Imama and Qualities of the Imam

25– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘One who appoints himself as a leader of the people must first begin by educating himself before educating others; he must discipline through his own behaviour, before disciplining with his tongue.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 110]

27– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Among the definitions of the custodianship of an Imam whose obedience is obligatory is to know that he is immune from committing mistakes, errors, intentional wrongs, and from all sins, petty and grave. He never makes mistakes or sin, and neither is he ever diverted from the issues that endanger the religion by any sort of diversion. He is the most knowledgeable of all people about what Allah has made lawful and unlawful, His obligations, recommendations and rulings. He stands needless of the entire world whilst they all need him. And he is the most generous and courageous of men.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 68, p. 389, no. 39]

28– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘You certainly know that he who is in charge of the honour, the lives, the booty
[enforcement of], the commandments and the leadership of the Muslims must not be: a miser, as he would avidly crave their wealth, nor an ignorant man as he would then mislead them with his ignorance, nor crude in his manner for he would estrange them with his crudeness, nor one who deals unjustly with different places thus preferring one group over another, nor one to accept bribes in his ruling lest he forfeit people’s rights and pass judgments without them, nor one to abolish recommended practices whereby he would ruin the community.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 131]

29– Imam al-Íasan (AS), in his letter to the inhabitants of KÙfa said, ‘By my life, an Imam is only one who rules by the Book, a maintainer of justice, bound to the right religion, who controls himself for the sake of Allah.’
[al-Irshad, v. 2, p. 39]

32– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Certainly Allah has made me an Imam for His creation, so He has made it mandatory upon me to take into consideration myself, my food, my drink, and my clothing like that of the weak people
[of the community], so that the poor may follow me in my poverty and the wealth of the rich does not embolden them to intimidation.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 40, p. 336, no. 17]

33– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Verily there is no obligation on the Imam except that which has been devolved on him by Allah, namely to convey exhortations, to strive to give good counsel, to keep the prophetic practice alive, to enforce penalties on those liable to them and to issue shares
[of taxes and charity] to those who deserve them.’
[Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha li Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v. 7, p. 167]

الحُقوقُ المُتَبادَلَةُ بَينَ الإمامِ وَالاُمَّةِ / The Reciprocal Duties and Rights Between the Imam and the Community

34– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘It is the duty of an Imam to rule in accordance with what Allah has revealed, and that he delivers what he has been entrusted with. If he does that, then it is the duty of the people to listen to him and to obey him and to hearken
[to his call] when they are called.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 14313]

35- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Now it is obligatory upon a ruler that the distinction he achieves, or the wealth with which he has been exclusively endowed, should not make him change his behavior towards those under him. Rather the bounties that Allah has bestowed on him should increase him in nearness to his people and in kindness towards his brethren.
Beware then that it is my duty towards you that I should not keep anything secret from you except during war, nor should I decide any matter without consulting you except with regards to the commands of religion, nor should I postpone the fulfillment of any of your rights nor desist until I discharge it fully. And that all of you are equal to me in your rights. When I have done all this, it becomes obligatory upon you to thank Allah for this bounty and to obey me.’
[Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha li Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v. 17, p. 16]

مَنِ ائتَمَّ بِغَيرِ إمامِ الحَقِّ / One Who Accepts The Leadership Of An Unrightful Leader

38– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘Allah, Blessed and most High said, ‘I will certainly punish every Muslim community who accepted the leadership of a tyrant leader who is not chosen by Allah.’
[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 376, no. 4]

40– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Certainly the worst of people before Allah is the oppressive leader who himself has gone astray and misleads others. He destroys the prophetic practice and revives abandoned innovations. I have heard the Messenger of Allah (SAWA) saying, ‘On the Day of Resurrection the oppressive leader will be brought without any helper or anyone to advance excuses on his behalf, and then he will be thrown into the Fire of Hell, where he will turn as the hand-mill turns, then he will be confined to its depth.’
[Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha li Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v. 9, p. 261]

مُدَّعِي الإمامَةِ كاذِباً / The Claimants of Imama For Themselves

41– Imam al-Baqir (AS), regarding Allah’s verse in the Qur’an: “On the Day of Resurrection you will see those who attributed lies to Allah with their faces blackened”, said, ‘
[It refers to] whoever says: I am an Imam, whereas he is not an Imam.’
[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 372, no. 1]

45– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The Prophet (SAWA) dispatched an army, over whom he appointed a commander and ordered them to listen to him and to obey him. He
[the commander] set ablaze a fire and ordered them to jump in it. Some people refused to enter it, saying, ‘Verily we flee from the fire’, whilst others intended to enter it. The Prophet (SAWA) was informed of this, about which he (SAWA) said, ‘Had they entered it, they would have remained therein forever
[i.e. the Hellfire].’ And he said, ‘There is no obedience due to
[one who calls to] Allah’s disobedience. Rather obedience is due
[when calling] for the good.’
[Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 1, p. 5]

46– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily the grinding stone of Islam will turn, so turn alongside the Qur’an wherever it turns. Soon the ruler and the Qur’an will combat each other and separate from each other. In fact there will be kings who will rule over you with one ruling and adhere to a different ruling for themselves. If you obey them, they will lead you astray. And if you disobey them, they will kill you.’ They asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what should we do if we witness such times?’ He said, ‘You must be like the companions of Jesus, who were cut into pieces with saws and were raised up on crosses. Dying in obedience
[of Allah] is better than a life in disobedience.’
[al-Durr al-Manthur, v. 3, p. 125]

47- Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘If three hundred and thirteen people, the number of fighters at Badr get together in support of an Imam, it is obligatory upon him to rise up
[against the unrightful leader] and bring about a change.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 100, p. 49, no. 18]

48– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘O Sadir! By Allah, were I to have followers as many as these goats, it would not be permissible for me to desist
[from revolt].’ Sadar narrated, ‘We disembarked and prayed, and when we finished the prayer, I looked at the goats and counted them, and there were only seventeen!’
[al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 243, no. 4]

49- Imam Mahdi (AS), when Sa’d b. ‘Abdillah al-Qummi asked him the reason why people cannot elect an Imam for themselves, replied, ‘Would he be a righteous man or a corrupt man?’ I said, ‘Righteous.’ He said, ‘Is it possible that the selected individual be actually corrupt, for no one really knows what passes through another’s mind, in terms of their righteousness or corruption?’ I said, ‘Yes’. He said, ‘That is the reason why.’
[Nur al-Thaqalayn, v. 2, p. 76, no. 283]

حَديثُ الثّقَلَينِ / The Tradition Of The Two Weighty Things (al-thaqalayn)

50– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily I leave behind among you the two weighty things, which as long as you continue to adhere to, you will never go astray after me, and one of which is greater than the other. The Book of Allah is the rope stretched from the heavens to the earth, and my progeny, my household. Behold, verily they will never separate from each other until they meet me at the Heavenly Waters.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 23, p. 106, no. 7]

وُجوبُ مُلازَمةِ أهلِ البَيتِ (عَلَيهمُ الّسَلامُ) / The Obligation Of Clinging On To The Household of the Prophet

51- The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Indeed the example of my household among you is like that of Noah’s Arc; whosoever embarked it was saved and whosoever chose to remain behind it was drowned.’
[Ibid. p. 105, no. 3]

52– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Look at the people of the Prophet’s household. Adhere to their direction, follow their footsteps, because they will never remove you from guidance, and will never throw you into destruction. If they sit down
[i.e. desist from revolting], you sit down, and if they rise up, you rise up.’
[Sharhe Nahj al-Balagha li Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v. 7, p. 76]

53– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Lo! Verily the example of the family of Muhammad (SAWA) is like that of the stars in the sky. When one star sets, another one rises. So you are in a position that Allah’s blessings on you have been perfected and he has shown you what you have wished for.’
[Ibid. p. 84]

55– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Verily the Imams are the vicegerents of Allah over His creation, and they make the creatures know Allah. None will enter Paradise except he who acknowledges them and who himself is acknowledged by them, and none will enter Hell except he who denies them and is himself denied by them.’
[Ibid. v. 9, p. 152]

56- Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘We
[the Prophet’s household] are like the saddle-cushion in the middle. He who slides behind has to come forward to it, while he who has slid too far forward has to return back to it.’
[Ibid. v. 18, p. 273]

57- Imam al-Sadiq (AS), mentioning the status and qualities of the Imams said, ‘Allah has made them the
[source of] life for mankind, the lamps in the darkness, the keys to expression and the pillars of Islam.’
[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 204, no. 2]

58– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘As regards the oppression against us in this matter – in spite of being the foremost in descent and bearing the strongest relationship to the Messenger of Allah (SAWA) - it was
[a result of] selfishness. The hearts of some people coveted it
[the leadership] whereas the hearts of others did not care for it. And the Arbiter is Allah.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 162]

فَلسَفَةُ الحُكمِ عِندَ أهلِ البَيتِ (عَلَيهمُ الّسَلامُ) / The Philosophy Of Leadership In The Viewpoint Of The Household (AS)

59– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘O Allah! You know that what we did was neither to compete for power nor to acquire anything from the vanities of the world. Rather we only wanted to restore the original characteristics of Your religion and to usher prosperity into Your lands, so that the oppressed from among Your servants may be safe and that Your abolished commands may be re-established.’
[Ibid. Sermon 131]

لَولا مَخافَةُ الفُرقَةِ / Were It Not For Fear Of Dissention

60– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘By Allah, were it not for fear of dissention among the Muslims, that they would return to disbelief and that the religion would be damaged, we would indeed have changed the situation
[of leadership] as much as possible.’
[Amali al-Mufid, p. 155, no. 6]

عِلمُ الإمامِ / The Knowledge Of The Imam

63– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Verily Ali was knowledgeable and knowledge is something that is inherited. In fact, no sooner does a knowledgeable man die than there remains after him one who knows his knowledge or whatever Allah wishes.’
[al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 221, no. 1]

64– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘By Allah, certainly I know the Book of Allah from its beginning to its end, as if it is in my palm. In it is contained the information about the heavens and the earth, about all that existed and all that is to be. Allah, Mighty and Exalted, has said: “In it is clarification of all things”
[ al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 229, no. 4]

65– Imam al-Ridha (AS) said, ‘Whenever Allah selects a person to manage the affairs of His creation, He opens his breast for that purpose, and he makes springs of wisdom flow in his heart, and bestows knowledge to him by way of inspiration, after which he never again lacks the capacity to answer, nor is confused from finding the right way out.’
[Ibid. p. 202, no. 1]